The Washington Nationals won the National League East division by eight games last season and seemed poised to make a strong postseason run. Theymatched up against the Los Angeles Dodgers and matched the Dodgers performance in the 2015 NLDS. A year earlier, the Dodgers found themselves in a hard fought five game series against the New York Mets. A break for the Mets determined a narrow, one run win. The same could be said about the 2016 NLDS between the Dodgers and Nationals. The series went to five games and was determined by one run. The Nationals are trying to make it past the division series round of the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's history. Prior to the move to Washington, the Montreal Expos made the postseason in 1981 and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the first ever division series. The Expos lost to the Dodgers in the NLCS, with the Dodgers once again prevailing in the World Series against the New York Yankees. The Nationals have won the NL East division in 2012, 2014 as well as last season. To keep up the momentum from last season, the Nationals added Chicago White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton. In doing so, they paid a hefty price by trading top pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning. With Eaton taking over in center field, that means that Trea Turner will move back to his original position of shortstop. First baseman Adam Lind is in to platoon with veteran Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals then brought in Matt Wieters to be their starting catcher. Washington seemed like a good fit for a couple of the top free agent relievers. Mark Melancon pitched his final two months of 2016 with the Nationals, but they were beaten out by the San Francisco Giants for his services. They followed that up by making a strong push for Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen only to see him return to LA with a better deal. Finally, the Nationals used their familiarity with the White Sox to try to work out a trade for David Robertson. Once that did not work, the Nationals made some lesser extensive signings. First, they brought in veteran closer Joe Nathan on a minor league deal to see what he has left. They followed that up with the signing of Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton to a $4 million contract ($3 million of which is deferred). The Nationals have a number of options as to what way manager Dusty Baker wants to go in regards to his relievers. On paper, it may make the most sense to go with eight year reliever Shawn Kelley as the closer. Kelley struck out 80 batters in just 58 innings last season and has averaged over 11 K's per 9 innings pitched each of the past four seasons. Right hander Blake Treinen pitched in 73 games, finishing with a 2.28 ERA and a 184 ERA+. Nathan made a similar transition to the closer's position to what Kelley might be doing, and may be able to provide some advise for him. Outside of that, it is hard to expect a lot from the veteran with 377 MLB saves since he has pitched in just 11 games over the past two seasons. I am intrigued by Koda Glover, who seems to have closers' stuff, but does not have a lot of MLB experience. The fact that Blanton has recently transitioned to the bullpen makes it less of a stretch for him to give the ninth inning a try. Left handers Sammy Solis and Enny Romero also throw very hard and though the Nationals lack a legit no worry closer option, they certainly have a quantity of pitchers for not only the ninth inning, but the eighth inning as well. Left hander Oliver Perez and righties Trevor Gott and Rafael Martin will also be battling for spots in a deep, yet not top heavy, bullpen. Washington has also chosen to take a look at veterans Neal Cotts, Tim Collins and Matt Albers. Max Scherzer is still one of the best starting pitchers in all of major league baseball. Though he may not be ready for opening day, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner gives the Nats something few other NL teams have- a legitimate ace. Stephen Strasburg would like to make it through the entire season healthy, something he has not done since leading the NL in strikeouts in 2014. With Gio Gonzalez starting to become less dominant, the Nationals will be asking a lot out of right handed pitchers Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83) and Joe Ross (7-5, 3.43). Right hander AJ Cole comes into the season as the team's sixth starter. Vance Worley and Jeremy Guthrie are also in camp for depth purposes. A lot of focus will be on outfielder Bryce Harper, who followed his 2015 NL MVP with a season leaving a lot to be desired. He hit just .243 and his on base plus slugging dropped to .814. Nonetheless, the Nationals bring back a strong core of offensive players not named Harper, led by second baseman Daniel Murphy, third baseman Anthony Rendon and center fielder turned shortstop Turner. Jayson Werth, similar to Gonzalez, is finishing up his long term contract this season and will be in left field. The Nationals lineup I would start the season with is : Turner SS, Eaton CF, Murphy 2B, Harper RF, Rendon 2B, Werth LF, Zimmerman/ Lind 1B, Wieters C. Michael Taylor, Clint Robinson, Stephen Drew and backup catcher Jose Lobaton make up the Washington bench. The White Sox wanted outfield prospect Victor Robles in any talks with the Nationals, whether it was about Chris Sale, Eaton, or Robertson. The fact that the Nationals did not want to trade Robles for Sale could have nixed the deal, though it is quite possible the White Sox simply liked the Red Sox package better. Right handed pitcher Erick Fedde was the Nationals first round draft pick in 2014. He could be ready to help out this season and continues to strike out more batters than innings that he pitches. Glover and Cole are already up with the team, as has been catcher Pedro Severino. I am intrigued by left hander Tyler Watson, who should add some velocity to an already formidable strikeout repertoire. I like the Nationals and think they can win as many as 100 games this season. Their all around roster makes them something for the opposition to be concerned with going into the postseason. I feel that talent wise, the Nationals are right on par with that of the New York Mets. Whether the Nationals finish in first place or the Mets do, the margin will not by very much. Plus, it is impossible to imagine either team not being among the five best (record wise) in the National League. Las Vegas puts the Nationals over/ number at 91.5. I take the under, but slightly. I have the Nationals finishing the 2017 season at 90-72, second place in the National League East division.

Throughout the history of modern baseball, there have been 111 World Series played, not including the different version played prior to the start of the 20th century. The New York Yankees have won 27, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals with 11 and the Philadelphia/ Oakland Athletics with nine. The Boston Americans/ Red Sox and New York/ San Francisco Giants have won eight, while the Brooklyn/ Los Angeles Dodgers have won six. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds have won five each and the Detroit Tigers have won four. The teams that have won three include the Washington Senators/ Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and the Boston/ Milwaukee/ Atlanta Braves. The New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs have all won two World Series with the Anaheim Angels and the Arizona Diamondbacks each winning one. That leaves eight teams who have yet to win a World Series. The Texas Rangers have been to two but not won and the Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres have all been to and lost a Fall Classic. The other two teams, the Montreal Expos/ Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners, have never been to a World Series. There is no reason to figure out exactly how many managers have led these franchises over the course of their history. Many get a certain time frame to deliver a World Series Championship and many leaves without fulfilling that goal. WIlbert Robinson, Al Lopez, Clark Griffith, Jimmie Dykes, Dusty Baker and Gene Mauch had all won over 1399 games as a big league manager without winning a World Series. Some, however, have been lucky enough to win in their first season behind a big league bench. Bucky Harris won in his first season as player/ manager for the Washington Senators in 1924. Harris is among a small list of just four to win in their first season ever, later joined by the Cardinals Eddie Dyer (1946), Yankees Ralph Houk (1961) and Diamondbacks Bob Brenly (2001). The next group of six took over during the season the year before. In other words, they replaced the incumbent manager the season before and won a World Series in their first full season. The first to do it was Tris Speaker, who took over as a player/ manager for the Indians in 1919 and won the World Series the following season. Rogers Hornsby did the same in St. Louis in 1925 before leading them to a championship in 1926. The others are Bill Terry (Giants 1933), Frankie Frisch (Cardinals 1934), Dallas Green (Phillies 1980) and Tom Kelly (Twins 1987). Finally, there are the managers who did not win a World Series in their first stop, but ended up winning one in their first season somewhere else. The first to do that was Red Sox manager Jake Stahl in 1912. Stahl had previously managed the Washington Senators in 1905 and 1906. Ed Barrow won a World Series in 1918 with the Red Sox in his first season after managing the Tigers from 1903-1907. Pat Moran won the controversial Series of 1919 in his first season with the Reds, having previously been behind the bench for the Phillies from 1915-1918. Joe Altobelli won in 1983 with the Orioles after managing the San Francisco Giants from 1977-1979. Jim Leyland picked up his ring in 1997 during his first season with the Florida Marlins after his 11 year run with the Pirates from 1986-1996. Terry Francona managed the Phillies from 1997-2000, then won a World Series in his first season with the Red Sox in 2004. Finally, John Farrell did the same in 2013 in Boston after managing the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012. Coincidentally, four of these seven managers did so while with the Red Sox. If the second time did not work, it does not mean a manager cannot get that timeless ring. Casey Stengel won in his first season with the Yankees after not getting Brooklyn (1934-1936) and Boston- NL (1938-1943) to the promise land. Al Dark was actually in his second stint with the Athletics in 1974 when he won his first World Series as a manager. In fact, Dark had managed the Giants (1961-1964), the Kansas City Athletics (1966-1967) and the Indians (1968-1971) before winning in his first season in Oakland. Joe Torre had managed the Mets (1977-1981), Braves (1982-1984) and Cardinals (1990-1995) before taking the job with the Yankees for the 1996 season. Jack McKeon had managed four teams, the Royals (1973-1975), Athletics (1977, 1978), Padres (1988-1990) and the Reds (1997-2000) before winning in his first season in Florida in 2003. Harris, previously mentioned for being the first manager to win a World Series in his first season behind the bench, would wait a long time before winning another one. Harris stayed in Washington through 1928, then managed the Tigers from 1929-1933 before making a pit stop with Red Sox in 1934. He then returned to Washington from 1935-1942 and took the same job for the Phillies in 1943. Harris was named the 15th manager in the history of the New York Yankees franchise for the 1947 season. He led them to a World Series Championship that season. It would not be fair to exclude former Milwaukee Braves manager Fred Haney from this discussion. Haney took over the Braves during the 1956 season after previously managing with the St. Louis Browns (1939-1941) and Pirates (1953-1955).As the 2016 pennant races wind down, it is worth wondering if this is the year Dusty Baker wins his first World Series as a manager. It would come in his first season in Washington. The same can be said for Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Don Mattingly (Marlins) and Scott Servais (Mariners). The latter two seem like a long shot at this point to get into the postseason.

What happens to that team that was considered to be flawless just a year ago? Many times a team stands out as being so superior to the rest in regards to talent. The experts announce that it is "their time." If that team has some injury, clubhouse chemistry or other internal problems that keep them from reaching their expected potential, how does that impact their potential standing for the subsequent season? I mean, it is essentially the same team that had such high expectations a year ago. Maybe it is simply the fact the team did not live up to the hype that leads to many not backing them like they did a season ago.

The 2015 Washington Nationals were coming off a National League East division title, their second in three seasons. With a team already constructed that seemed prepared to take the next step, the Nationals made one of the most aggressive moves in the entire off season, inking Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to a seven year deal. The Nationals were already known for having one of the best starting rotations, one that featured Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Tanner Roark. In what was considered an overflow of riches, the Nationals would move Roark, a 15 game winner in 2014, to the bullpen to serve as an extra starting pitcher when needed. We all know what happened during the disappointing Nationals season. It started with under achievement. Then, it became a mission of making up the lost ground in the standings. After that failed, it became a game of who should be blamed. Of course, it started with the media. The media started with their "Nationals are a disappointment" campaign. This smear then made its way into the National clubhouse, where the Nats players started pointing fingers, first at their manager Matt Williams and then eventually at each other. That is what losing clubhouses do. Winning keeps a team unified, losing pulls it apart. Williams paid for the under achievement with his job; out after just two seasons, the first one resulting in an incredible 95 wins. That basically explains how much bad of a season the Nationals had in proportion to what their expectations were. The Nationals decided to go outside the organization for their next manager. General manager Mike Rizzo wanted to hire somebody who had major league managerial experience. Dusty Baker, the longtime manager of the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, was chosen over longtime San Diego Padres manager Bud Black. Infielders Ian Desmond (.233 batting average, 19 home runs, 62 runs batted in, .674 on base plus slugging)- free agent with the Texas Rangers, and Yunel Escobar (.314, 9, 56, .790)- trade to the Los Angeles Angels, were swapped out for Daniel Murphy (.281, 14, 73, .770)- free agent from the New York Mets, and Stephen Drew (.201, 17, 44, .652)- free agent from the New York Yankees. Free agents Zimmermann (13 wins, 10 losses, 3.66 earned run average, 164 strikeouts, just under 202 innings pitched) and Fister (5-7, 4.19, 25 games, 15 starts) left as free agents to the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros, respectively.Closer, at least until Rizzo ruined the bullpen's chemistry by trading for Jonathan Papelbon, Drew Storen was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Ben Revere (.306, 2, 45, .719, 24 stolen bases), who was added to replace the departed Denard Span (.302, 5, 37, .771, 31 SB). The Storen trade was the start in a renovated bullpen, which includes free agent signings Oliver Perez (2-4, 4.15, 51 Ks, 41 IP), Shawn Kelley (2-2, 2.45, 63 Ks, just over 51 IP) and Yusmeiro Petit (1-1, 3.67, 42 games, 1 start, 76 IP). Right hander Trevor Gott (4-2, 3.02, 48 games pitched, just under 48 IP) came over in the Escobar trade and will replace the injured Aaron Barrett (3-3, 4.60, 35 Ks, just over 29 IP), out recovering from Tommy John surgery. Papelbon (4-3, 2.13, 56 Ks, just over 63 IP) had a solid season for the second division Philadelphia Phillies but was not as dominant with the Nats. He averaged just over 9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched with the Phillies and dropped to just over 6 with the Nationals. 2015 hold overs Blake Treinen (2-5, 3.86, 65, just under 68) and Felipe Rivero (2-1, 2.79, 43, just over 48) will be part of the mix. An interesting pitcher to look at is right hander Rafael Martin, who appeared in just 13 games and pitched to a 5.11 ERA. In just over 12 innings, Martin managed to strike out a fantastic 25 batters, a rate of 18.2 per nine innings pitched. Burke Badenhop and Nick Masset have proven themselves in other teams bullpens but are currently on the outside looking in. Losing Zimmermann and Fister (though Fister was a disappointment last season) will hurt the Nationals but a case could he made for the starting rotation being a little better going into 2016. Roark (4-7, 4.38, 40 games, 12 starts) was very effective in 2014 as a starting pitcher winning 15 games, pitching to a 2.85 ERA and finishing with a 131 ERA+. Right hander Joe Ross (5-5, 3.64, 69 Ks, just under 77 IP) was brought in during the off season that sent outfielder Steven Souza to the Rays and also awarded the Nationals shortstop Trea Turner. If Ross raises his game, he may be able to easily account for the loss of Zimmermann and Roark should be able to easily replace Fister, who may have plateaued or could be on the decline. Scherzer (14-12, 2.79, 276, just under 229, 4 complete games, 3 shutouts, 2 no hitters) did what he could to back up his contract and the discussion that came with it. With his impending free agency, Stephen Strasburg (11-7, 3.46, 155, just over 127) should perform at a very high level this season, leaving veteran Gio Gonzalez (11-8, 3.79, 169, just under 176) as the number three starter. Petit will serve as a backup in case of an injury with top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito waiting in the wings. ​I take a lot of pride in the fact that I have written six full paragraphs about the Washington Nationals without mentioning outfielder Bryce Harper. Harper (.330, 42, 99, 1.109) is coming off a well deserved National League Most Valuable Player award and is excepting his role as the face of the franchise. Corner infielders Ryan Zimmerman (.249, 16, 73, .779) and Anthony Rendon (.264, 5, 25, .707) will be forces in the Nationals lineup if both are healthy, which they were not last season. Murphy and Drew will be up the middle with Turner (.322, 8, 54, .828, 29 SB) waiting in the wings. Turner will likely start the season in AAA, but seems to be major league ready in spite of being selected in the 2014 draft. Veteran Jayson Werth (.221, 12, 42, .685) will start the season in left field with Revere taking the reigns as the everyday center fielder. Last season's center fielder Michael Taylor (.229, 14, 63, .640) has a full season under his belt and is expected to perform better this season. If this is the case, expect the Nationals to play Taylor in center, move Revere to left and use Werth off the bench. The same will be said for when Turner comes up. He will replace Drew making him into a utility player. Catcher Wilson Ramos (.229, 15, 68, .616) will once again be the starting catcher. Hopefully Ramos can finally live up to the hype which touted him as the game's next big time offensive catcher. The lineup I would start the season with is Revere CF, Murphy 2B, Rendon 3B, Harper RF, Zimmerman 1B, Ramos C, Drew SS, Werth LF. Infielder Danny Espinosa (.240, 13, 37, .719) is the reason Turner will be in AAA, as he can spell at second, short or third base. Left handed Clint Robinson (.272, 10, 34, .782) is one of the more underrated power bench bats in all of baseball. Former Mets outfielder Matt den Dekker and veteran Chris Heisey will be competing for the last bench spot with Heisey having the upper hand being right handed. Jose Lobaton (.199, 3. 20, .573) serves as the backup catcher. 22 year old Pedro Severino could work his way into the mix with Jhonathon Solano serving as another catching option. Veterans Reed Johnson and Brendan Ryan are also trying to win jobs. All the talk in Washington is about Giolito, the right hander who amassed 131 strikeouts in 117 innings last season. The expectation of the current number three prospect in all of major league baseball is yet another reason the Nationals were okay watching Zimmermann and Fister leave via free agency. Right hander AJ Cole is kind of forgotten about as he was once thought of as a top Nationals prospect. His trade to the Oakland Athletics and subsequent return in another trade has left him unattended to. He still has the talent to be a solid three starter even though his fastball generally rests in the low 90s. Turner should be a very good offensive player right away and also has a little speed in addition to his above average ability as a shortstop. I was among the many that liked the Washington Nationals to get to, and win, the World Series in 2015. I admit it, though you seemed pretty silly if you picked against it last March. Chances are the Nats could thrive without the huge expectations that burdened them last year. A case can also be made that the pressure is now on the Mets after the latter made it to the World Series last season. Las Vegas has the Nationals at 87 for their over/ under, an expectation that is less than last season. And I believe enough in the composition of this roster and new manager Dusty to think the Nationals can exceed the Vegas prediction. However, I am only taking them at 88-74, second place in the National League East division.

The amount of teams that have changed managers, particularly over the past three seasons, has put some extra pressure on some of the GMs that have made these changes. A lot of times, a change of a manager is done simply to free some time for a General Manager to get his team in the right direction. Among GMs that should absolutely be back in 2014 are Minnesota's Terry Ryan, both NY GM's Brian Cashman and Sandy Alderson as well as Houston's Jeff Luthnow. You can make a case that all four need to show something soon, but even if the Yankees miss out on the playoffs in 2014, Brian Cashman should be back for another off season. GM moves tend to happen more during the season than after, but many teams choose would rather not wait to make the change until after a season is over. San Diego got the ball rolling when they let GM Josh Byrnes go during this season. He was replaced by Texas Rangers executive AJ Preller. Similar to the amount of managers I suggested could be out after this season, I came up with the same amount of GMs that are in the same boat.

6. Jon Daniels: Texas Rangers- The Rangers as a franchise should look at the 2014 season as a whole and just forget about it. While expectations were very high going into the season, they were set to succeed with the projected players and pitchers on their 40 man roster to start the season. The Prince Fielder trade was expected to give them a cleanup batter with 40 HR power while moving Ian Kinsler was done to free second base for 21 year old Jurickson Profar. Profar has not played all year and the normally durable Fielder's season was cut short after just 42 games. Yu Darvish is now on the DL, joining what could have been the rest of their projected rotation- Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Martin Perez and Tanner Scheppers. Good news is that Holland is back and his series of September starts will be good for the Rangers going into 2015. While the Rangers can be criticized for the amount of money they invested in Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo (also on the DL,) it makes sense to give the whole organization from top to bottom a complete pass based on what has happened with the injuries. Daniels, considered one of the better GMs in all of MLB, may be facing more scrutiny than he has before. All signs point to him returning to the Rangers in 2015.

5. Walt Jocketty: Cincinnati Reds- Jocketty took on a consultant like position with the Reds after serving as GM of the St Louis Cardinals. Just three months went by before he was named Reds GM, replacing Wayne Krivsky. The Reds have been blessed with a lot of talent, but have had little to show for it. The Reds won the NL Central in 2010 with 91 wins and after a down 2011 season, they won 93 games and the NL Central again in 2012. After a loss to Pittsburgh in last year's Wild Card play in game, manager Dusty Baker was given the ax. The team has struggled under new manager Bryan Price, but a lot has had to do with injuries. In my opinion, the injuries have been wasted out by the breakout seasons of catcher Devin Mesoraco, 3B Todd Frazier and RHP Alfredo Simon. Yes, the Reds can expect a healthy Joey Votto and Homer Bailey back in 2015, but I think it is time to start questioning how much this group has left. Their division is very competitive already and the Cubs are only getting better. Jocketty has had a lot of success, but I can see the Reds evaluating his position after the season.

4. Alex Anthopoulos: Toronto Blue Jays- I can see Anthopoulos keeping his job if the Blue Jays finish at .500 or better. Maybe manager John Gibbons takes the hit after this season, buying Alex some more time. The Blue Jays do have a lot of talent, but I still feel that their 2013 performance is fresh on the mind of ownership. They had a need to add a top starting pitcher, but Anthopoulos passed on making that upgrade. If the Blue Jays do not make a change in the front office, it will become important that the team brings in a top starting pitcher for 2015. The class of free agent pitchers is much better than last off season, so perhaps Anthopoulos had that in mind. There is also a little pressure from the media and fan base for this group to win soon, with guys like Jose Bautista and RA Dickey not getting any younger. Seeing the Pirates and likely the Royals getting back to the post season does not make anybody in Toronto feel any better.

3. Dan O'Dowd: Colorado Rockies- There was some thought that the Rockies could have some success this past season. But that was contingent on them getting anything out of their starting rotation. That clearly hasn't happened and a lot of that can be put on the GM. Outside of Jorge De La Rosa and possibly Jordan Lyles, what other top starting pitcher options do the Colorado Rockies have? Perhaps the altitude of Denver can be blamed for pitchers not wanting to pitch there, and maybe O'Dowd has tried to bring in free agents who have decided they'd rather pitch elsewhere. We know this team can score runs but we also know they will be giving up a ton of runs themselves. Having Jonathan Gray in the rotation should be a blessing, but he is an example of another guy who has yet to deal with the elevation issues. Money will have to talk this off season is O'Dowd is brought back. They may have to overpay to convince a free agent starter to come to Colorado. They also have two star players in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez- both of whom could command the type of young pitcher they need to get some momentum going. In addition, it is difficult to see the actual plan the Rockies have going forward, even with the thought of some new pitching coming from outside the organization. I can see a change here but wonder if there is a mind who can figure out this whole altitude thing.

2. Kevin Towers: Arizona Diamondbacks- One of the biggest disappointments this season has been that of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They made some bold off season moves to bring in guys like Mark Trumbo and Bronson Arroyo, but they have not been able to shake off a bad start. The bold moves that Towers made were met with some criticism, mainly the trade for Trumbo, which cost him Adam Eaton and Tyler Skaggs. Prior moves like the trade of Justin Upton and Trevor Bauer do not look like they are paying dividends. The Diamondbacks can hope that Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill and Didi Gregorius will all get better at the major league level and did get back Peter O'Brien in the deal for Martin Prado. The toughest thing Towers will have to deal with is the fact that Tony LaRussa has been a consultant with the DBacks for most of this year. LaRussa is studying things and that usually does not bode well for the General Manager. Most GM's do not like another person overseeing their activities. Towers has a great track record and is one of the most respected in the game. I think whether he stays will be solely on what LaRussa's recommendations are.

1. Ruben Amaro: Philadelphia Phillies- It is completely understandable why Phillies fans would want to see GM Amaro replaced. The team is finishing its second consecutive season in the bottom part of the NL East and there is not a lot pointing in the direction of the team becoming a contender for 2015. Of course, the team also has their hands tied now do to the commitments of several core players from their 2008 World Series Championship team. That leaves probably limited funds to bring in the core type of player the team needs to turn things around next season. The farm system has very little in regards to impact players in the top levels of their minor leagues. This is the prime example of a situation that needs another voice to get things going in the proper direction. Another prospective on what the team can do to get work some good young players and maybe bring in the right veteran to shake up the comfort of the clubhouse. It is safe to say the Phillies will unlikely go any further with the group of players they have now. I do not know if Amaro sees that. Somebody else will and this organization will make the necessary changes throughout the club to get things going where the Phillies fans expect it to be.

This past baseball season was the 20th anniversary of the last team to win over 100 games in a season and not make the playoffs, the 1993 San Francisco Giants. Of course, 1993 was the last MLB season before baseball expanded its playoff format. And obviously, with the system set as it is now, it is just about impossible for a team to win that many games without making the playoffs. Their rookie manager that season just finished his 20th season as a MLB manager. Out of the players on that team, there are 2 current MLB managers, a pitching coach and a bench coach in the major leagues now. Among their relief pitchers, there were three pitchers who would at least once save 40 games in a season. Among other players on that team was the pitcher who became the first in 100 years to strike out the first 8 batters he faced. Players on the 1993 Giants won a total of 6 World Series titles and two more players played on a team that won one that season. Of course, 1993 was the first season of OF Barry Bonds' new contract. The prior offseason, he signed as a free agent after leaving the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants had a solid everyday lineup with Darren Lewis leading off playing CF, followed by 2B Robby Thompson, LF Bonds, 3B Matt Williams, 1B Will Clark, RF Willie McGee, SS Royce Clayton and catcher Kirk Manwaring. 1993 was Clark's last season in San Francisco. The bench featured OFs Dave Martinez and Mark Carreon, infielders Todd Benzinger and Mike Benjamin and backup catcher Jeff Reed. Bonds (.336, 46, 123) and Williams (.294, 39, 110) led the offense that also got major contributions from Clark (.283, 14, 73), Thompson (.312, 19, 65) and Clayton (.282, 6, 70). Every regular played in at least 128 games and drove in at least 46 runs. Five players stole 10 of more bases, led by Lewis' 46 and five players (Bonds, Williams, Thompson, Lewis and Clark) scored at least 82 runs. Though the pitching staff was led by 20 game winners Bill Swift (21-8, 2.82) and John Burkett (22-7, 3.65), they did need 11 pitchers to make 4 or more starts for them. If they had to round out their rotation, it would consist of oft injured pitchers Trevor Wilson (7-5, 3.26 in 22 games, 18 starts), Bud Black (8-2, 3.56, 16 starts) and either Bryan Hickerson (7-5, 4.27, in 47 games, 15 starts) or Jeff Brantley (5-6, 4.28, 53 games, 12 starts). While the team had difficulty filling out a rotation, which would have difficulty in the middle games of a playoff series, they did have a solid bullpen. Rod Beck (3-1, 2.18, 48 saves) had one of his best seasons and Mike Jackson (6-6, 3.03, 81 games) was the primary setup man. Kevin Rogers (2-2, 2.68, 62 games) was solid from the left side in his only full MLB season and Dave Burba (10-3, 4.25) joined Brantley, Hickerson and Dave Righetti rounding out the pen. The Giants were beat out that season by the Atlanta Braves, who won the NL West division title before joining the NL East in 1994. The Braves made it to their 3rd consecutive NLCS, where they lost to the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Could the Giants have taken the Phillies if they had played in the NLCS? Possibly. The Braves bested the Giants by just one game, but they certainly had the better pitching staff. Dave Justice and Ron Gant equaled Bonds and Williams of that season, and remember, the Braves traded for Fred McGriff that season. The Giants would fade over the next couple seasons, finishing under .500 each of the next three seasons and finishing with 94 losses in 1996. With a much different team, Dusty Baker would lead the Giants to six straight winning seasons, culminating with the 2002 NL Pennant. A World Series, by the way, that they should have won.

In what initially seemed like deja-vu, the Los Angeles Angels seemed to be duplicating their season of a year ago. It was then when they stole the headlines, signing free agent Albert Pujols and LHP CJ Wilson. This made a very good team seem better as the Angels were the favorites to win the AL West division. The Angels started out 2012 by going 8-15, but were 26-26 by the end of May. They played good baseball for the better part of the balance of the season, but still finished short of making the postseason, finishing at 89-73. Of course, most of the success was led by the play of Mike Trout, without whom the team may have never recovered from said bad start. Once again, the Angels gained some headlines this past offseason, signing OF Josh Hamilton from rival Texas in what seemed like a reasonable 5 year contract. After a similar bad start (9-17 in April), the Angels seemed on the same path finishing May at 16-13, but were just 14-13 in June. But the team was just 4 games under .500 coming into the All Star break. However, the 9-12 record in July, coupled with an embarrassing loss to division rival Oakland, has left the Angels at 7 games under .500 with three teams ahead of them in the standings. The Angels took a 5-0 lead over the A's by the 2nd inning, only to allow Oakland to tie the game. After the Angels took a 6-5 lead, they gave it right back, losing 10-6. The Angels made their first "sell" type of move, trading LHP Scott Downs to Atlanta earlier today. They seem to get the same fact that most of us get, that the Angels are unlikely capable of going on the type of run that can get themselves back into the AL Wild Card race. And they are wise for acknowledging that. Many teams have used the fact that there are two wild cards in each league as an excuse to battle for a race they are not really in. However, this season is a disaster, one neither owner Artie Moreno, General Manager Jerry DiPoto or manager Mike Scioscia could have imagined. Pujols is hurt and the pitching staff has been terrible, making it very unlikely anything will be salvaged this season. With the high expectations, it seems logical somebody will be held responsible for this season. Perhaps if the Angels were in a tight race and fell a little short, it may be understood that they just fell short. Moreno did not open up his wallet for this team to be in 4th place. Does this fall on GM DiPoto, who hindsight will pin this on him as a bad job? The reason I disagree is the fact that they righted the ship last season. Pujols deal was expected to reap benefits within the first couple years and they came close last year, in spite of the high expectations. Adding Hamilton was expected to balance a right handed lineup that feature Pujols, Trout, Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick. On paper, the moves did not look bad. If many had that to do again, many would probably make the Hamilton signing again. Scioscia has proven himself as a top MLB manager, though few would agree that he has done a good job over the past two. If he was fired today, he would have a job tomorrow as many teams would take him over their current skipper. A case could be made that sometimes good managers have their time run out on them. Perhaps the thought could exist that veteran players have tuned him out. It happened to Davey Johnson with the Mets, Whitey Herzog with the Royals and Cardinals, Dusty Baker with the Giants and even perhaps Casey Stengel with the Yankees. Few have the opportunity to win a World Series and retire, like Tony LaRussa did with the Cardinals, but even he was fired by the White Sox over 25 years prior to that. The Angels will likely wait until after this season to do so. A Scioscia firing makes him the scapegoat of what has been a bad job all around. DiPoto did not address the pitching in the way he should have. But most importantly, the players are the ones who deserve the blame. Pujols and Hamilton will not be fired; they can't. They can let Joe Blanton go after the season, but that sends no message anybody on the team will care about. I can't see anything else that can be done. I losing 2013 season has to be an epic disaster for this franchise, one that needs a scapegoat. Moreno will not fire himself and remember, DiPoto has only been here a couple of year. He just replaced orevious GM Tony Reagans. However, the Angels loss will be another team's gain, as Scioscia will get a job immediately, if he wants. Or, he can set his sights on a job he wants, like the other LA team, who would love to have him back because of his roots.

The Cincinnati Reds remind me of the 2007-2008 Philadelphia Phillies. A team that has been ready to win for a couple years; the only difference: they won a division title in 2010 in addition to their NL Central crown last season. Attention has shifted to teams such as Washington and Los Angeles, as well as the World Series Champion Giants and the Cardinals, who were in the NLCS for the second season in a row. Yet few consider the Reds as a team that can win the pennant. I am in the minority with the opinion that the Reds should have (and should still) use closer Aroldis Chapman as a starting pitcher. While many hate the idea of moving a proven closer to the starting rotation, I could have seen Chapman having a season similar to that of Chicago's Chris Sale last year. Sale at age 22 in 2011, went 2-2, 2.79 in 58 games (0 starts), striking out 79 in 71 IP. Last year, Sale went 17-8, 3.05 in 30 games, 29 starts, striking out 192 in 192 IP. Of course, Chapman was much more dominant last season, going 5-5, 1.51 in 68 games (0 starts) with 122 Ks in 71 1/3 IP. Chapman is more of a dominant pitcher than, lets say, Joba Chamberlain or Neftali Felix. For that reason, I think it could be beneficial to both the Reds and Chapman to at least check it out. The Reds re-signed Jonathan Broxton (4-5, 2.48, 27 saves in 60 games) to be their closer and still have Sean Marshall (5-5, 2.51, 9 saves, 10.9 Ks/ 9 IP). But both Chapman and the Reds have decided to stick with him as the closer, something that should still turn out to help the team. Chapman heads a bullpen that not only has Broxton and Marshall, but has pitchers Jose Arredondo (6-2, 2.95), Logan Ondrusek (5-2, 3.46), Sam LeCure (3-3, 3.13) and Alfredo Simon (3-2, 2.66). Nick Massett, who pitched in 74+ games for the Reds from 2009-2011, should rejoin the pen this season. Of course, Chapman at the back makes this possibly the best pen in all of MLB. While many may disagree, I still think the Reds have a top bullpen with Chapman in the starting rotation. Johnny Cueto (19-9, 2.78) and Mat Latos (14-4, 3.48) head a rotation that will still be solid. The Reds return the same rotation as last season with Homer Bailey (13-10, 3.68), Bronson Arroyo (12-10, 3.74) and Mike Leake (8-9, 4.58) scheduled to round out the five. All five made just about all their starts last season, and only 1 start was made by an additional Reds pitcher, Todd Redmond (August 18th in the second game of a double header). By the way, Redmond is now in the Orioles organization. I concede that conventional wisdom would be behind Chapman relieving and the same five pitchers starting. However, injuries do happen and odds are the Reds will need another starting pitcher at some point in 2013. I understand why Chapman may not start, but still feel it should be considered at some point. The Reds added OF Shin Soo Choo in a trade with the Indians. Choo (.283, 16, 67, 43 2Bs, 150 Ks) moves over to play CF in place of Drew Stubbs (.213, 14, 40, 13 2Bs, 166 Ks). Clearly an upgrade. Star 1B Joey Votto (.337, 14, 56, 44 2Bs, 1.041 OPS) only played in 111 games due to injury. A healthy Votto is a favorite for the NL MVP this season. Jay Bruce (.252, 34, 99) and Ryan Ludwick (.275, 25, 80) flank Choo with All Star 2B Brandon Phillips (.281, 18, 77) giving the Reds a top middle of the order. Toms River's own Todd Frazier (.273, 19, 67) gets his first full season as the team's 3B, with SS Zack Cozart (.24, 15, 45) and C Ryan Hanigan (.274, 2, 24) rounding out the lineup. I'd set them up like this: Choo CF, Phillips 2B, Votto 1B, Ludwick LF, Bruce RF, Frazier 3B, Cozart SS, Hanigan C to separate the three lefty hitters. 25 year old Devin Mesoraco (.212, 5, 14) could be a sleeper this season as he has more of an offensive upside than Hanigan. OF Chris Heisey and 3B Jack Hannahan could be starters on a number of teams but instead will lead a strong Cincinnati bench. Top prospect Billy Hamilton will not be 23 until September 9th, and is probably blocked for this season with the depth the Reds have in the outfield. Choo is set to be a free agent after this season. The Reds 97 games last season and should be on the same pace for this season. The question is whether the Reds will take the next step and make it to the World Series. Vegas was low on the Reds this season, putting their over/ under at 88 1/2. To me, it is an easy over as I have the Reds finishing the season at 96-66, 1st place in the NL Central. Dusty Baker has one thing holding him back in the discussion of the games top managers. He has not won yet. A Pennant with the Reds will certainly help.

A new era is underway when it comes to MLB's managers. Six MLB managers hired either this year or last year had no prior MLB managerial experience. In fact, three of this six had never managed a professional game at any level. Things have changed from the way they were even a couple years ago, where guys like Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre and Cito Gaston patrolled the dugout. Between the four of them, they won 10 World Series titles and 9 League Pennants. Among the current group of MLB managers, they have 10 World Series and 9 Pennants between them. Based on World Series titles, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy looks like the king right now. In Cleveland, Terry Francona takes over an Indians team that has not won a World Series title since 1948 and, prior to AL Pennants in 1995 and 1997, had not been to a World Series since 1954. Francona brings to Cleveland his two rings from Boston. No other current MLB manager has won more than one World Series. In fact, only five other current MLB managers have won World Series at all: Joe Girardi (2009), Charlie Manuel (2008), Jim Leyland (1997), Mike Scioscia (2002) and Davey Johnson (1986). Every manager who has lost a World Series over the past seven seasons is still around, led by Ron Washington and Leyland who have won two AL Pennants each. Bochy managed the 1998 Padres to the World Series. Others who have won Pennants as MLB managers include Joe Maddon (2008), Manuel (2009), Clint Hurdle (2007) and Dusty Baker (2002). If you were basing the best current MLB managers on winning World Series and Pennants, Bochy (2, 1) would rank number 1, followed by Francona (2,0), Leyland (1, 2), Manuel (1,1) and Washington (0,2). It is also amazing that only five current managers have been to more than one World Series.

Last year, I put together a list of what I thought were the best to worst MLB managers. Things obviously change year to year based on teams performances and the direction the manager has his team going in. The manager's track record also has to be taken into consideration, which makes this a very interesting discussion. While the talent on the team is a consideration as well, this is not simply a ranking of the 30 best teams. The great thing about this is similar to ranking the best and worst teams coming into the season: opinions on this list will vary to the reader. Just like the list I did last year, I have to rank the managers who have no MLB managerial experience at the bottom of the list, as nothing can be said about judging their performance. So, like last year, let the discussion begin. 1. Jim Leyland, Tigers: (LY 2) Leyland has both the track record and good team to be considered the tops in the game. He got the Tigers back to the World Series for the second time. He has a World Series Championship with Florida and got the Pirates to the NLCS three years in a row in the early nineties. There is not another current manager in MLB who would do a better job with the Tigers the way they are assembled.2. Buck Showalter, Orioles: (LY 6) Showalter was ranked 6th on my list last season and that was before the Orioles surprised all of baseball by making the postseason last year. His track record of building winning teams was the premise of ranking him so high. The fact that he succeeded by getting that Baltimore team into the postseason shows why he is one of the top managers in the game right now.3. Joe Maddon, Rays: (LY 1) Maddon has done a great job with continuing the winning tradition as the Rays keep getting younger. His biggest challenge lies ahead after the trade of James Shields and Wade Davis and the loss of free agent BJ Upton. Maddon has been one of the top managers and has remained so in spite of all the changes. Lets see if he can keep it up. 4. Bruce Bochy, Giants: (LY 17) Bochy changed my opinion after winning his second World Series in 3 years as Giants manager. He did it this time with a different offensive team. Two World Series wins, 3 NL Pennants and all his years as a MLB manager look a lot better after the second World Series win. 5. Davey Johnson, Nationals: (LY 19) With all the talent the Nationals had coming into last season, it was expected the team would make big steps towards being a winning team. The Nationals ran away with the NL East, and Johnson deserves a lot of the credit. My gripe last year was that I thought he had lost a sense of the changes of the game during his stint in LA. Whether we agree with the move or not, his decision not to throw a similar fit in regards to Stephen Strasburg as he did with Dwight Gooden in 1984, it shows he has been willing to make some concessions. Now that he has led the Nationals to a division titles as well, he has now done so with four different teams. 6. Mike Scioscia, Angels: (LY 3) Scioscia's stock has fallen a little bit. There were some concerns last season that maybe his time in LA was coming to an end, but thanks to Mike Trout, the team got it together and won over 90 games. Scioscia has been known as a top managerial mind and deserves consideration among the top managers in the game. However, he has to win with the amount of talent he has on the roster.7. Dusty Baker, Reds: (LY 10) Baker is another veteran manager and he has himself a good team in Cincinnati. He has led the team to division titles in two of the last three years. After a 2011 team that underachieved, it was a concern that perhaps Baker lost the team already. The fact that it does not seem true shows Baker is probably one to stay.8. Ron Washington, Rangers: (LY 4) Washington would not have fallen as far if it wasn't for the Rangers bad September. The team that made it to two straight World Series fell apart as the 2012 season came to the end. Washington, however, has proven himself as a top manager. 9. Bud Black, Padres: (LY 12) Black has done a very good job for a team that overachieved in 2010. They had a very good finish last year, and Black has proven himself to stay in San Diego for the long term. 10. Charlie Manuel, Phillies: (LY 11) Manuel has the track record of the five straight NL East titles, but has to get over the team finishing 81-81 last year. He is a veteran and is best for the veteran team they have in Philadelphia. 11. Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks: (LY 8) Gibson has that fiery spark that teams look for in a modern manager. It is the way he played. After getting the team to the postseason in his first full season, Gibson's team took a step back in 2012. 12. Terry Francona, Indians: It is hard to discredit Francona's success in Boston; leading them to two World Series titles in four seasons. With an under talented roster, it is interesting to see what Francona can do in Cleveland. His legacy as an all time manager depends on it. 13. Ron Gardenhire, Twins: (LY 5) Gardenhire has taken the biggest fall for a similar reason Maddon remains as high as he is. The Twins have lost a lot of talent over the past seasons, and that is what gave Gardenhire the respect he has a manager. He kept the team competitive when they lost some star power. Unfortunately, the team has lost too much talent. Maddon could be in the same spot if the Rays drop like the Twins have. 14. Joe Girardi, Yankees: (LY 15) Girardi is an average MLB manager on a good team. He is better than a lot of them, but does not have the track record of some of the best. The Yankees struggles in the last three postseasons make a good case for my point. 15. Bob Melvin, Athletics: (LY 22) Melvin deserves credit for taking the Oakland team to the postseason that had no business being there. He has improved teams in Arizona and Seattle, so it is not the first time. He is a better manager than I have given credit for. 16. Mike Mattheny, Cardinals: (LY 29, because it was his first season managing) It is a very good story of how Matheny got the Cardinals back to the postseason after losing Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa. Great job, but Matheny has to back it up to be considered one of the best in the game. 17. Ron Roenicke, Brewers: (LY 13) Roenicke took the Brewers to the postseason in 2011 but could not repeat after the loss of Prince Fielder. He is a good manager, not great. But that can change if he builds on his winning reputation in Milwaukee. 18. Robin Ventura, White Sox: (LY 30, because it was his first season managing) Ventura was one of the surprises when he got the White Sox job last season. It was an even bigger surprise that he led the White Sox to a winning record in his first season. Outside of a tough last month and a surge by the Tigers, the White Sox had a very good chance of winning the AL Central. The emergence of Chris Sale and the comebacks of Jake Peavy and Adam Dunn had a lot to do with it. Lets see how they do in season two. 19. Don Mattingly, Dodgers: (LY 16) Mattingly is in a tough spot. The Dodgers have spent a lot of money over the past couple season and have underachieved. They added Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez, among others, and failed to make the playoffs. He is under some pressure to win this season or he may be out. He has yet to show he is an elite manager. 20. Fredi Gonzalez, Braves: (LY 26) Gonzalez moves up due to attrition. He did get the Braves to the postseason last year after 2011's September collapse. His offense has been upgraded, so the pressure will be on him to manage the talent he has. If not, he will face criticism. 21: John Gibbons, Blue Jays: Gibbons returns to Toronto after a three and a half year hiatus. He led the Jays to two winning seasons but did not stand out as a manager. He inherits a very good team and will certainly feel the wrath if the Jays underachieve. 22: Clint Hurdle, Pirates: (LY 21) Hurdle did not have an impressive track record in Colorado and now has had two Pittsburgh teams that have struggled mightily in the second half of the season. The Pirates are talented, but I am not sure Hurdle is the man to lead the team to the success they have been seeking since their last winning season in 1992. 23: Terry Collins, Mets: (LY 18) Collins has the tough task of managing this rebuilding Mets team. The team has decreased the amount of talent it has over the past three seasons, not fair to the veteran manager. If the Mets get off to a bad start, it may be Collins that pays the price for the team's misfortunes. 24: John Farrell, Red Sox: (LY 14) Farrell walked out on his team, a team he mismanaged to a very disappointing 2012 season. His two seasons in Toronto have been disappointing as well. He takes over a Boston team who has a different look to it. Farrell is also the only 2012 manager managing a different team in 2013. 25: Eric Wedge, Mariners: (LY 24) Wedge is in a difficult spot with a Mariners team that is expected to struggle once again. He had the same issues in Cleveland. Similar to Collins, he could pay the price for a bad start. 26: Ned Yost, Royals: (LY 25) Yost has a much improved team which will not stand for a bad start. He will be canned if the Royals do not live up to their potential. There is too much talent for this team not to break through this season. Yost has yet to enjoy enough success as a big league manager. 27: Dale Sveum, Cubs: (LY 28, because it was his first season managing) The Cubs expect to be improved this season. They did lose 101 games under Sveum last season. It is hard to judge Sveum as a manager after the one season. 28. Walt Weiss, Rockies: Weiss inherits the most talented team among the three new managers. 29. Mike Redmond, Marlins: Redmond takes over a Marlins team that has been completely stripped. 30. Bo Porter, Astros: Porter takes over an Astros team that lost 106 games and has the least amount of talent of any team in the major leagues. Good for him to get his feet wet, but the results may not be there.